BITTERSWEET BREXIT

Moving On (Chap 3)

However we leave, we can decide which way we go afterwards
There are two main routes.. .
Going Global
Buying British

Leaving

What we do after we Brexit depends very much on how we see ourselves - our identity. A lot of this depends on how we see ourselves in the world. Some want to look back to a time gone by. Yet we need to look forward - learning the lessons from what has gone on in the past. Discussion with Dee Woods, member of London Food Board, where we discussed how we now see ourselves in Britain in relation to the rest of the world regarding food provision. Podcast thanks to Tom Wakeford.
Whichever way we decide to Brexit, there are two main directions of travel as far as food and farming are concerned. The government talks about an export led food economy - in other words to export more food - and they plan to earn around £3b doing so - see Going Global
However, our money may be better spent on ourselves, by buying British. This is not some xenophobic chant but to make money - for ourselves. We could save ourselves over £30b. If ever there was a case of 'taking control over our borders', this could be it and provide all sorts of benefits - see Buying British

AgriTech East in 'Transforming food production' say 'it will increase the incentives for investment in sustainable agriculture'. That includes 'soil-less production', whereas I'd prefer some mention of better soil management - especially in the East, as made clear in the book. This sounds OK for richer farmers, but with investment risk at an all time high, most will not benefit. It needs proper infrastructural investment. How does this 'industrial strategy' supposed to replace dependence on monocultures worked by migrant workers ie plantations?

Food & farming in the Government's White Paper on Industrial Strategy talks of * High-efficiency agriculture * Markets for innovative farming technologies like drones * Council for Food & Drink of industry with government * Food production needs to be significantly more efficient and sustainable * Sector is target business for Artificial Intelligence.

One simple question.

Can we make up in FREE trade (ie deals negotiated to reduce/eliminate tariffs) enough food to outweigh what we are loosing in terms of FREE food trade with the EU?

Where our food comes from now...

Second Question

Is it be better or worse for the environment to import more food from outside the EU?

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